A round-up of this week’s environmental, green and ecofriendly news and updates.
There are 2 things I regret about my childhood. One was that my parents didn’t teach me to swim (and despite innumerable lessons, I still can’t swim) (not even doggy-paddle).
(Not much to worry about, really!).
The other was that we never discussed money at home (unless we were particularly short that month). I’ve been fascinated to learn that young entrepreneurs often come from families where money and ways of making money are discussed openly. Perhaps that’s how Felix Finkbeiner was brought up. He has a habit of Getting Things Done.
Learning about climate change ten years ago, when he was just nine years old, he decided adults just talk and don’t act. So he started Plant for the Planet, with a goal of planting one million trees in his home country of Germany. He planted the first tree near his school’s entrance. Since then, the ambitious teenager surpassed his original goal and has now planted over 14 billion trees in over 130 countries. And he is just getting started. His new aim aim is to plant one trillion trees, or around 150 trees for every human on the planet.
Isn’t he amazing?
I haven’t had a good rant for a long time now.
It was overdue.
See what I’m upset about, here.
The Keystone XL pipeline is in the news again because President Trump wants it to be built. So Ken Ilgunas hiked all 1,900 miles of the proposed pipeline, which would carry oil from the tar sands of Alberta to Texas.
It took him five months, and he wrote a book about it – “Trespassing Across America“. He has some fascinating insights – why conservatives and liberals united against the pipeline in some states but not in others; how he experienced both hostility and kindness during his walk; and why he’d rather live with hope than despair.
Much has been written about the habits of highly successful people.
I’m not looking at “success” in terms of a multi-million dollar empire though (sigh), just the ability to get more done during the day.
If you ever feel that your day has just rushed by, and you’ve got nothing to show for it, this post might help. Read it here.
Global Green News:
A sperm whale was spotted off the coast of China, tangled in fishing nets. Locals phoned the fisheries dept. who sent scuba divers. The whale stayed calmly in place while the divers cut away the nets. Some netting was trapped in the whale’s mouth, and a diver (understandably nervous about going close) was astonished when the whale slowly opened its mouth for him so he could cut away the nets. Afterwards, the whale stayed close to its rescuers – perhaps it was saying thank you? Eventually they had to chase him away as he would starve in shallow waters.
We often see the terrible smog in China’s cities (and elsewhere in the world too). We think of how difficult it must be to breathe in those conditions. I don’t know about you, but I rarely think of dogs and how the smog affects them. Yet veterinary clinics are reporting massively increased cases of dogs coughing badly and having difficulty breathing after they’ve been for a walk.
US Green News:
It’s a pretty bad time to be a bee. These vital pollinators of our food face habitat loss, poisoning from pesticides, problems with mites and more. To help, the city of Cedar Rapids in Iowa will plant native prairie grasses and wildflowers, to create a 1,000-acre haven for bees and other pollinators. This will help local ecosystems as well as local farms. The project will use unused spaces such as parts of city parks, golf courses and the Eastern Iowa Airport, as well as less obvious habitats like roadsides, sewage ditches and water-retention basins.
If you love and have pets, be sure to microchip them. A woman from Virginia lost her dog, She searched relentlessly for many years, then eventually moved to California. Her dog was found in North Carolina after 7 whole years, and the microchip company found the original owner. So – never give up hope, microchip your pets – and be sure to keep your contact details updated with the chip company!
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.
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And if you’re on Twitter, get a daily green tip by following me – @EcoExpert1 . See you there!
The whale story is amazing! We forget that even wild animals are intelligent enough to realize that not all humans are out to harm them. Those who freed him especially the man who removed the netting from the whales mouth will definitely have a story to share for the rest of their lives.
Thanks Lois, yes, most wild animals are highly intelligent and social beings who deserve our respect. You’re right, the diver will definitely have a great story to share!